Session 3 : The Felicity
Synopsis Several days after the events in the Kobolds underground city, the party meets with the Whitemanes to receive their payment. After paying the party Kethra reveals her plans to use her share of the payment to purchase the rights to several trading routes with Silverkeep Harbor in the North. Kethra has scheduled a meeting with the head of the "Fezim Shipping Company", Ramas Fezim, the next day to discuss the purchase and asks the party to accompany her. The next day, the party meets with Kethra and heads to Ramas' illustrious mansion for the negotiations. Ramas agrees to the sale of the routes provided that Kethra does him a personal favor and accompanies him to the opening night party for a gambling hall called "The Felicity". The party also agrees to accompany Kethra to the opening, and spends the next few days preparing for the festivities. Upon arriving at the Felicity, the party is brought to a side room where they are patted down and asked to temporarily give up their weapons. While they are leaving their weapons with the guards a dragonborn priest named Brother Drexil enters, and takes notice of the magic sword that the party took from the King of the Kobolds. Drexil introduces himself and asks the party if they would be willing to trade for the sword, as he believes it to be a holy relic of the Church of Bahamut. The party accepts a trade, Drexil thanks them and offers that he will gladly host them in Ssefdant should they ever be in the Southlands. Once inside the grand hall, the party spend some time engaged in the festivities and meeting the other patrons. Evendurr Greycastle, who unbeknownst to the party is the owner of the Felicity, enters and gives a speech thanking everyone for their attendance. He also mentions that there will be a charity auction later in the evening to raise money for the construction of an orphanage run by the Church of Phieran. After the speech the party notices Ramas make a discreet hand-off of a gleaming metallic object to a mysterious individual. The party follows this individual to the back of the hall, where they find that a group of thieves has incapacitated two guards and headed down a back hallway. The party gets the jump on the lookout, who reveals after interrogation that Ramas Fezim is working with Councilor Khalid from a rival trading company to steal artwork from the auction. Further down the back hallway the party finds a dead end, and manages to decipher the clues to open a hidden door to a store-room in the back. Inside the storeroom they find the other thieves, and as they are preparing to confront them two masked figures suddenly appear with a flash of light. The first figure is a hulking, barrel chested humanoid wearing a bear mask, and the other is wearing the one-eyed jackal mask that was stolen from Evendurr's shipment. A fight breaks out and one of the thieves attempts to run away with a sack containing their ill-gotten gains. With the party in close chase, the thief uncorks a mysterious vial and drinks the contents within. Suddenly, his body contorts, grows, and reshapes itself into a terrible beast. The beast charges a nearby guard, goring him with his horns and flinging his body through the air before landing in a bloody heap, then turns his sights on the party. Misc. Ramas Fezim tells the party and Kethra that he needs a date for the party to prevent Madame Arizma from trying to set him up with one of her nieces. When they ask Ramas' servants about it they admit to his philanderous ways, but insist that he is a good master. The party gets clothes made for the party at a peculiar tailors shop called "The Bleeding Trout Fishmonger", a chimerical combination of half fishmonger and half trendy clothiers run by an artiste named Alauthshaee-Ava Wall. Later the party also goes to a Hot Topic rip-off called "Now You Dye", where they learn that Ramas' mother died in childbirth, and he took over the shipping company from his father at a young age after his tragic death. The night before the party, Alunar Bloodbath had a dream where he was confronted by his God, who told him "I am it that hungers. All that is, shall be devoured. And you shall be one of my mouths". Upon waking he found that he had devoured the lizard figure off of his focus, yet mysteriously still had access to his magics. While trading with Brother Drexil, he offers the party a piece of stone from his vestments that he claims to have been blessed by Bahaumt himself. Upon holding the stone, Thia immediately feels a deeper spiritual connection to nature and ends up accepting the offer. Within the party, Mario and Tibber meet an elderly mage named Alistar the Emerald from the Mages Tower. They discuss some of Mario's inventions, as well as some of the theoretical research that he is doing on the nature of consciousness and how it may be transferred. Alistar is impressed by the knowledge and interest showed by the two, and offers for them to come to the tower the next week where he will be presenting the results of his latest research. Spruce is approached by a halfling who tells him that he is aware of his secret identity as the "Bat Monk". The halfling gives him a scroll that he says will reveal its writing in a place of shadow, but not a literal place of shadow. Spruce and the halfling size each other up, but find their abilities oddly matched regardless of what they do. Thorin is reluctantly approached by a group of Tieflings, who try to no avail to get him to engage in their drinking and merriment. While sitting at the bar with a stern scowl, Thorin is approached by Evendurr's orcish bodyguard, who cautions him on the meaning of power in Lakehead.